August 14, 2009

Salamat siang everyone,

This email is about the Center for Disability Studies and Services in Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, where I am now working. The Centre is at the State Islamic University UIN Sunan Kalijaga where I have been sent through Academics for Higher Education and Development (AHED). The name of the center in bahasa Indonesia is the Pusat Studi Dan Layaman Difabel (PSLD).

We (the staff, the students with disabilities, and the student volunteers) need your help! The development of the center, which for the time being is only able to provide services for students who are blind, is just beginning. It means we do not have much to help provide services for the students except a great will to organize the centre and to advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities. I am writing to see if you have any ideas, books, articles, guidelines, computers, software to support students who are blind or who have other disabilities.

Here are some specific areas in which the center would benefit from your help.

• Guidelines for management, administration and policies for the centre.
• Guidelines for volunteers / tutors management to provide the best support to students who are blind. Workshop in September 2009 (half a day).
• Guidelines to create a workshop on self-empowerment of students who are blind. Workshop in October 2009 (half a day).
• Guidelines, adaptive learning strategies for professors to include and support students who are blind (in class, related to homework, exams…). Workshop in January 2010 (2 days).
• Guidelines for creating a section at the library not only for students who are blind but for any student who has a disability. We need materials, computers, and software. For the moment, two computers are available using Jaws and Openbook.
• Guidance to create a website which would be integrated to the one of the university (http://www.uin-suka.ac.id/) and which is accessible to people with disabilities.
• Names of institutions, organizations, NGOS, associations where we could apply for funding.
• References for books, resources, articles related to blindness. We would love also to receive e books, books in Braille, etc, for our corner.
• Names and contract information for universities, centers, NGOS… we could contact/consult for guidance, resources, and exchanges.
• Funding to assist in the development of all of the above

Again, thanks for your help and best to all of you.

Marion Steff, PhD